


Mac + Grave Danger

by Stupid_Mac_Stuff (just_another_wholockian)



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Buried Alive, Hurt Angus Macgyver (Macgyver 2016), Protective Jack Dalton (MacGyver 2016), angus macgyver whump, based off of csi episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-11-26 05:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20925011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_wholockian/pseuds/Stupid_Mac_Stuff
Summary: When Mac goes out on a beer run, Jack knows something is wrong when he doesn't come back.Meanwhile, Mac is stuck underground and is running out of time.Updates every Sunday





	1. Mac + Beer Run

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the CSI episodes Grave Danger where Nick Stokes (George Eads) gets buried alive, I thought it would make a great MacGyver whump fic.

"No, it's your turn to get beers." Jack shook his head.  
"Nah, man. It's on you." Bozer was really fed up with the pair constantly arguing over who's turn it was to get the beer. They were supposed to be having a BBQ, Matty, Riley and Cage were on their way over from the Phoenix.   
"I'm telling you, Jack, it's your turn." Jack still shook his head before coming up with an idea.  
"How 'bout this? We flip a coin?" Mac sighed deeply, he was getting annoyed with the constant back and forth of 'no it's your turn'.   
"Fine. Bozer, want to decide who gets what?"  
"Alright, Mac's heads, Jack you're tails." The pair nod as Jack gets a penny out of his pocket and flips it in the air. The three of them let it drop to the floor and to Mac's dismay, it was heads up.   
"Off you pop, man." Mac grabbed his wallet and keys before heading to the door. "And get the good stuff! Not the cheap crap!" He nodded at Jack before heading out the door.

It was only a ten-minute drive to the store that sold the beer they all liked thank god, the group had gotten back from what was deemed a 'suicide mission' without a single casualty, there were injuries but they were unavoidable in most cases. The store itself was close to Phoenix or at least the road they use to get to Phoenix, Mac didn't understand why they didn't just text one of them to pick up on the way through. Mac walked into the store and straight to the beer section, he decided to grab double the amount he normally would for good measure. He made a mental note to himself to create some kind of chart to stick on the fridge later on. 

Mac spun around to pay, only to see a ten-person long queue, all of whom look as if they were having a BBQ themselves. Mac let out a little groan before joining the end of it, being careful of the beer, Mac pulled his phone from his back pocket. 

_ Going to be late, huge queue in the store. _   
_Sent 7.46 pm_

Mac went to slip his phone back in his pocket as the line shuffled a little closer to the till but stop when it buzzed in hand. 

_ Whatever you say, hoss. Just bring us back some beers like you were supposed to last week. _   
_Read 7.47 pm_

Mac rolled his eyes and slipped his phone back into his pocket as the line got a little closer to the till, he was going to be there a little while. 

Meanwhile, back at the house, Matty and Riley stumbled through the door, snacks in hand.  
"Who's ready to party?" Riley dumped the bag of assorted snacks on the table.   
"Not us, we're waiting on Mac to get beers."  
"You two forgot to stock up again." Riley started to unpack the bags of giant marshmallows, nachos and assorted crisps and sweets.  
"Yeah, they forgot to stock up but they had time for a twenty-minute argument over who's turn it is to get the beer." Riley chuckled as Bozer finished his monotone voice and facial expression.   
"Dalton, why didn't you text one of us? We could've stopped on the way through." Jack froze for a moment.  
"Because... we didn't think of it?" Matty rolled her eyes and Riley laughed.  
"MacGyver is one of the smartest people we know and he got lumped with you, God help us all."   
"Hey, where's Cage?"   
"Oh, she had to finish some stuff up at Phoenix. She'll be down whenever she finishes." Bozer nods and goes back to watching the TV.  
"Shouldn't Mac be back by now? I know he said there was a long queue but still." Jack checked the time and couldn't help agreeing.

Mac had just gotten out of the store with his beers, oh how the group will make fun of him for taking so long, it was just ten past eight. He unlocked his car and placed the beers on the passenger's seat, as he climbed in the car he heard something. A sob. Mac stood up and tried to follow the sound, there was a dimly lit alley between the two stores on the street. Mac knew it was stupid and dangerous but he went to look anyway.  
"Hello? Is someone there?" There was another sob, this time louder, Mac identified it as a child.   
"Please help me." Mac edged closer even though all his training said not to.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Please help me." Mac took his phone out and shone it down the alleyway, he could see a pair of trainers hiding behind a dumpster.   
"What's wrong? I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."  
"My parents..." There was a break as another sob escaped the alleyway. "...They left. I don't know where they've gone." Mac was just a few feet from the dumpster now, his instincts screamed at him to run but his heart wanted him to help the kid, he knew first hand how it felt to lose your parents. Mac edged closer still, he reached out to the dumpster and leaned around it to see the child.   
"Hey, kid-" Mac stopped as he saw the pair of trainers but in the place of the child was a Bluetooth speaker that was letting out the sound of a child. "What the fu-?"

"Okay. He should definitely be back now." It was almost a quarter past eight.   
"I'm sure it's just the long queue holding him up." Riley tried to calm Jack down as he paced the house.   
"No, no, no. He would have texted."   
"He's probably got his hands full with beer, I guarantee you he's bought double the amount to stop something like this from happening again." Bozer stood up from his chair to join the conversation.  
"It's that or he's designing some fancy chart to ensure this doesn't happen again." Jack shook his head.  
"No, no, no. He can do all that on the move, he should be back by now." Matty sighed deeply.  
"How about I get Cage to drop by the store on the way over, she's leaving Phoenix now." Jack nodded.  
"Yes, yes, please. My Spidey-sense is tingling and I don't like it." Jack was put a little at ease at the thought of Cage checking up on him. 

Cage slid her phone into her pocket as she got in her car to go to the store. It was twenty minutes away from Phoenix and another ten minutes from Mac's place, Cage didn't mind checking up on Mac, she knew he'd be fine but if it stopped Jack from worrying, she'd happily do it. 

When Cage pulled into the car park of the store, she knew something was wrong straight away. She spotted Mac's car, the door was left wide open, she could see the beer tops shining in the light on the passenger's seat. She parked in a space over from Mac's car, she cautiously approached his abandoned car.  
"Mac?" She had her hand on the back of her waist, ready for anything. She looked in the car door and saw that his keys were just laying on the seat, something was definitely wrong. She scanned the area for him but didn't see him anywhere, she pulled her phone out to try and call him. She spun on her heels when she hears his ring tone come from behind her, in a dark alleyway. This was definitely a bad sign.

Cage followed the sound, turning the torch on her phone on until she saw them. Mac's phone, his Swiss Army Knife and a needle, the end of the needle ha fresh blood on it.   
"Oh god." 


	2. Jack + Bad News

"Cage, where's Mac?"  
"I don't know." Jack froze, he was concerned, unfortunately, however, that came off as anger.  
"What do you mean you don't know?" Cage was stood at the door, a white and blue stripy bag in hand.  
"Jack, calm down. What happened?" The whole group was crowded at the door where Cage stood.

"When I got to car park, Mac's car was abandoned, the driver's door was left open with the keys on the seat and the beers on the passenger's seat," Everyone took a second to process what that could mean, Jack knew straight away it was bad, Matty was unsure, Riley and Bozer tried to stay positive. Cage took a deep breath, swallowed harshly and continued. "I tried calling his phone and I found it in a dark alleyway along with these," Cage opened the bag and everyone leaned over to see what was inside. Jack cursed under his breath when he saw Mac's arm knife and a needle, Riley let out a small cry, Bozer ran a hand over his head and Matty was stoic as always. "I haven't touched anything with my bare hands, I hope the lab will be able to do something with these, pull prints or DNA off of them." Jack's face turned from sadness and concern to anger and determination.  
"Then what are still doing stood here for? Let's get back to the Phoenix so we can find him."

📎📎📎

Mac's head throbbed against the rough fabric under his face. His eyes fluttered open as he took in his surroundings, he couldn't identify where he was, he couldn't remember what had happened. He blinked a couple of times to clear his vision before he moved his head, he stopped when he felt a sudden soreness in his neck. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered what happened. 

He was in an alleyway, he was trying to help a child but the child wasn't there. He remembers something or someone suddenly grabbing at his neck before he woke up wherever he was. Mac tried to sit up to survey his surroundings but realised his hands where zip-tied around his stomach, he looked down in disgust at the navy blue plastic cutting into his wrists. He had no way to use his hands. Mac shuffled his back against the seat behind him, realising he was in the back of a large car, Mac tried to get a view over the top of the seat to see the driver but with his hands zip-tied there was no way to do it without drawing attention.

Mac froze as the car pulled to a stop and the engine died down, Mac stayed in place and focused on the back door of the car, he braced his knees, ready to kick his way out. He heard the sound of the driver's door opening, his heart hit his throat in anticipation, he only focused on the back, ready for when it would swing open at any point. That was his mistake. Mac hand been so ready for the back door to open he didn't notice the lack of footsteps outside the car. A sudden hand grabbed at Mac's face again and another needle was inserted into his neck, which caused him to lose consciousness again that night. 

📎📎📎

"The lab said there was nothing but Mac's prints on his belongings and the needle was clean too. " Matty couldn't stop the sadness that coated her voice even if she tried.   
"Do we know what was in the syringe?"   
"Your everyday general anaesthesia."  
"So we've got nothing." Jack slumped down in his chair.  
"No, I've got something." Jack's eyeshot to where Riley was sat with her laptop. "I managed to pull CCTV from the car park, it's not great but it's a start." the group crowded around Riley's laptop, the image was grainy but not grainy enough that they couldn't recognise Mac.

The group watched as he approached his car, placing the beers down like Cage had said before something caught his attention. The group watched as Mac disappeared down the alleyway.  
"Damn it, Mac, he knows his training. This is such an obvious trap, man.'' The group watched on as someone else made an appearance from the shadows of the alleyway and disappeared down the alleyway. They reappeared and walked away from the alleyway before a silver car appeared in the frame. The person, who had a hood up to conceal their face the whole time, opened the large boot before disappearing down the alleyway again. 

This time when they reappeared, everyone's breath hitched in their throats. They dragged Mac into the boot of the car, not caring about being careful with him.   
"Son of a bitch, Riley get me that damn plate." Riley typed away on her computer as fast as possible.  
"Jack, this will take time, okay? There's not a lot I can do to speed it up either." Jack nodded, he slumped down in a chair again and held his head in his hands. 

📎📎📎

Mac's head throbbed, 'what just happened?', Mac lifted his arms to see what hit his head. Mac's eye shot open as he realised he was in some kind of box, his eyes landed on a green glow that was next to his left side. He felt around with his hands until he realised it was a glow stick, he lifted it and saw a chain of paper clips were hanging off of it. He took the chain of paper clips off of the glow stick and counted them. Twenty, he had twenty paperclips to fiddle with. 

As he returned them to his side, he felt something else, the distinct shape gave it away, a gun. Mac continued to feel around the box, refusing to acknowledge where he actually is, his hands grasped onto something else. Mac bought it up to his face along with the glow stick to get a better view at it, it was a tape recorder. Mac decided to leave everything where he had found it, hoping he would wake up from some weird dream. 

Mac closed his eyes for just a moment when a soft draft of air combed over his face he opened his eyes again, thinking he was elsewhere. His grit his teeth in frustration as he realised he wasn't dreaming and that he was in fact buried alive. Mac scoped out the box, he looked to his right to see where the draft was coming from to see a small vent with a grate on it. 

Mac shifted his body enough to get both his hands around the grate to try and pry it off, the was no catch on it, no ledge for him to get his nails under, he fought with it until his fingertips were raw. He yelled in frustration as he shifted his body back around, there were only two or so inches above him. Mac looked down at his feet, there was an identical grate at his feet, Mac lifts the glow stick to his watch to see it had been replaced by a digital one, 9.58 PM. He had disappeared an hour and a half ago but he knew that the team would stop at nothing to get him back. 

Panic was starting to set in now, he had lost an hour and a half of time, his hand fumbled for the glow stick. He shone it above him and his fear were correct, he had been buried alive. Mac felt around his body again until he found the tape recorder again, he examined it for any instructions but found none, taking a deep breath, Mac hit play. He doesn’t recognize the voice.

“Hi, Mac. You wondering why you're here? Because you followed the cry of a child. Because that's what orphans do. So breathe quick, breathe slow, put your gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Any way you like, you're going to die here...” Mac can physically feel the fear taking over his body, his hands trembled violently as Mac took deep breaths. He needs to find a way out, fast. Mac feels underneath him for some kind of trap door but only finds the gun, he unclips the mag and see it's fully loaded. He checks his pockets to find his phone, keys, wallet and army knife are all missing. 

Mac's eyes fall back onto the roof of the box, he knocks against it with his knuckles, 'some kind of toughened glass, bulletproof probably'. Mac tried pushing up against it with all his strength but nothing budged, he tried using his knees as well but still, nothing budged. He could feel tears welling in his eyes, he was truly starting to panic, all his training went out the window. His chest tightened, he banged against the glass but it was no use. He tried screaming until his throat was raw instead.  
"JACK! JAAAACK! HELP!" It was useless. No one could hear him. 


	3. Mac + Bright Lights

Riley still hadn't gotten anything back from the CCTV footage yet and was starting to fall asleep in her chair until a commotion in the lobby woke her. She left her laptop running and ran down the lobby. When she got there she saw the two security guards manhandling a civilian in their arms.  
"What the hell is going on here?" Matty suddenly appeared from behind Riley.  
"This man showed up at MacGyver's house with a package." Matty was handed a yellow envelope with a single sticker on it, _RE: ANGUS_, Matty ripped it open without a second thought. Riley and Matty stared in confusion as all that was in the envelope was a plain disc, no labels, no writing, nothing.

Matty handed it to Riley.  
"Check it then run it." Riley nodded and headed back to her laptop, she put the disc in and waited as her laptop scanned it for malware. Jack, shortly followed by Cage entered the room.  
"Hey, what's going on? Matty said you got something." Jack and Cage rushed to Riley's side.  
"A random disc was sent to us, some guy showed up at Mac's house with it." Cage nodded her head.  
"Matty's interrogating him now." All the group could do was sit and wait in anticipation for either the disc to be cleared or the number plate to show up. 

Riley's laptop pinged off and the disc loaded, Riley put it on the big screen for everyone to see as Matty walked into the War Room to join them. The group watched in anticipation as a video loaded, words that would be etched into their brains for the rest of their lives.   
_“1 MILLION DOLLARS IN 12 HOURS OR…”_ The text slid across the screen, angering each and every person in the room.   
_“THE ORPHAN DIES.”_ The room stayed silent, no one had anything to say. The text continued to slide on the screen.   
_“DROP-OFF INSTRUCTION TO FOLLOW… AND NOW FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE…”_ No one could’ve predicted what was coming next.   
_“__YOU CAN ONLY WATCH.” _  
"It's a link." Riley slid the cursor over the word '_WATCH_' and clicked it. The group watched as a webpage loaded, a video loaded and the group all gasped in unison. It wasn't a video, it was a live stream of Mac. The team all realised the same horrific thing at the same time, Mac had been buried alive.

📎📎📎

Mac's head lifted at the sudden change in light, his eyes scrunched up out of pain. He lifted his head as far as possible to see a bright light at his feet, Mac had hoped the drugs had been to blame, that it was all in his imagination, that he'd wake up back in the car boot again, no such luck. He laid his head back down again and turned to the vent to get some air, only to feel no air circulation. Mac checks the watch again, _10.51 pm_, he must've slept a little. With new strength and energy, Mac tried to push against the lid of the box again and again it is only in vain. With one last scream of frustration, Mac punches the lid with the side of his fist.

📎📎📎

Riley was the first to show emotion. A small sob escaped her mouth and she covered her mouth with her hand, Matty and Jack shared the same look of enragement, Cage looked down at her feet, unable to watch her teammate struggle in the small space. Riley pushed her laptop off of her lap and left the room crying, as she walked toward the exit to get some air, Bozer bumped into her.   
"Hey, what's wrong?" Bozer held her by her shoulder gently as Riley wiped away tears and took in a deep breath.  
"It's Mac," She paused as she gathered herself some more "he's been buried alive." Bozer's heart drop at her words.  
"What? What do you mean?" Riley pointed to the War Room before removing herself from Bozer's grasp. Bozer jogged to the War Room, his breathing stopped when he saw Mac in the small space.   
"Oh my god." Jack turned to see who was speaking and sighed when he saw it was Bozer. 

📎📎📎

Mac shoved his hands back into his pockets, this time his hands come across something, two strips of gum and a pair of latex gloves he'd stolen from the mission earlier in the day in case he needed them. Mac decides to leave them there and take inventory of what's in the box with him. A recorded message from his kidnapper, three unused glow sticks, the forth fully lit and a fully loaded gun. 

Mac's mind raced with what he could do with everything in the box when the light source suddenly switched, Mac was back in the dark with only a glow stick to keep him friendly. The sound of the fan coming back to life caught his attention as he shuffled as close as his stiff body would him to the grate to get more air. Mac had done the calculations, the boxed would only sustain him an hour and a half, two tops if he could control his breathing. Why give him a needed piece to survive after telling him that he was going to die in the box?

📎📎📎

Matty, Jack, Cage and Bozer watch as the light goes out, leaving them with a blank screen, Jack moves straight to Riley's laptop and clicks the 'WATCH' button again.

📎📎📎

Mac's questions on why the killer would give him an additional air supply is interrupted when the light comes back on again. He feels the airflow start to slow on the right side of his face as the heat of the box starts to rise. 

📎📎📎

Jack can see the tension on Mac's face, he can see the beads of sweat form on his forehead, 'probably from the bulb in the light'.   
"We need to find him ASAP, where the hell did Riley go?" Bozer shrugged his shoulders as he looks out of the War Room. Jack goes to leave the room but Matty stops him.  
"Jack, give her a minute, she's going to be shocked by this. She hasn't seen anything like this before. Let me go after her." Jack stops for a moment and lets Matty go after Riley. 

Riley had wound up in the car park, she had her head rested against her knees at her chest, she couldn't get the image of Mac's face out of her head. She hadn't been able to stop crying, her jeans were soaked from the tears.   
"Riley." Her head snapped up to meet Matty's soft face, Matt joined her on the floor and put a hand on her knee.  
"I'm sorry, this is really unprofessional." Matty shook her head and squeezed Riley's knee.  
"No, this is natural. I'm more concerned about Jack and his lack of reaction, he's just angry." Riley wiped her eyes.  
"I hate this, he doesn't deserve this. No one does." Matty nods her head in agreement as she gently rubs her hand on Riley's knee.   
"You are absolutely right, no one deserves this, which is why it is our job to stop whoever did this. But the only person who can do that is you, we need to track that number plate." Riley nods and clears her eyes.

The pair renter the War Room together, Jack is now sat with his head in his hands, fighting off tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. Riley went straight to her laptop as Cage watched Mac on the screen.   
"Where's Bozer?"   
"He said he was working on something in the lab and had to leave." Riley knew that Bozer needed his space too and didn't push it, she looked to Cage who didn't even turn from the screen to talk to her. "You got anything on that plate yet?" 

Before Riley can say no, her laptop pings off with a corrupted image of the plate.   
"No. The damn file corrupted." Riley hit the top of her laptop in frustration.  
“Doesn’t matter, I got something from the delivery guy. He said he got called out to 3171 Cahuenga Boulevard, which so happens to be the store Mac went to get the beer from.”   
“He was targeted.” Matty nodded her head sadly, Jack took a deep breath. “What else did the delivery guy say.”  
“When he got the store, there was the package with a hundred dollars taped to it and a pack of your favourite beers. I’ve got an address, the TAC team is ready for your orders.” Jack nods his head and goes straight for the armoury.

📎📎📎

Mac couldn't figure the light out, it went off every two minutes but the time it takes to come back on is uneven, at first it was almost ten seconds after, then it was a minute and a half and now it's back to around ten-second intervals. Mac didn't know how many times the light had turned on and off, he didn't want to know. All he could do was suffer through the heat and stuffy air. His entire body ached with stiffness, 'laying down for a long period of time will do that' he thought to himself. 

He couldn't get Jack out of his head, all this on a coin flip. He shook the thought from his mind, 'rather me than Jack'. He thought about if they even knew he was missing or if they looking for him, 'of course they are,' Jack would drop everything for Mac in a heartbeat, and Mac would return the favour of course. 

📎📎📎

Jack was the one to use the battering ram against the wooden door and God, it felt good. The team stormed the house to find nothing but a sleeping drunk, Jack was pissed.   
“The address was a fake, probably picked it at random or somethin’. You got anything at your end, Matty?”  
“Riley is working on tracing the webcam now. The feed is active for two minutes at a time. Oversight has allowed us to pay the ransom as long as we bring the guy in, you’re going straight to the meeting place, the money will be there when you get there. Look, I got to go, people to see and all that. Get our guy back, Jack.”   
“Yes, ma’am.”

📎📎📎

Mac's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, he was getting sick of that dam light now. He pondered on the thought of if he may die of dehydration before suffocation.  
“Put your gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Any way you like, you're going to die here...” Mac shuddered at the disembodied voice playing in his head. He was not going to die here tonight.

Tonight. Mac flipped his watch over, 10.26 am, he’d been there for well over twelve hours. Mac wanted to cry. He wanted to be able to sit up again. He wanted Jack.

📎📎📎

Jack stood at the entrance to an old warehouse-like building, duffle bag of money in hand, the other clenched at his side.

Jack walked into the building, the first thing he saw was the car from the CCTV footage, he takes a moment to stare at it, almost in hope, hope that Mac was in the back of it and that the feed was in fact fake.

“Jack Dalton, Delta Force, show yourself.”  
“Through the door.” Jack followed the voice to a back room. His eyes fall on a single man sat behind a computer screen.  
“Pretty quiet out there, almost sounds like you came alone.” Jack had been there a whole twenty seconds and he was already bored of this guy.  
“I got your damn money.” The man stood up, cloaked in darkness.  
“Drop it.” Jack did as he was told and the man came out from the darkness, Jack could have sworn he’d seen him somewhere.  
“Slide it over.” Jack simply kicked the bag to his feet.   
“You’re telling me this is a million dollars.”   
“Yes.”  
“Along with some cute booby traps I’m assuming. Tracer? Dye pack? I’m not sure what kind of think tank you work for.” Jack shivered, how did he know about Mac’s cover story? And where had he seen him before?  
“Normally, you’d be one hundred per cent right but not this time. We want our guy back, no tricks.” The man pulled a wad of bills from the bag and inspected it.   
“Y’know, I liked Mac, he was nice.” Jack wanted to smack him for even speaking in past tense as if Mac was dead. “He came in one day and helped me fix the fridge. I liked Bozer too, how is he after that stabbing incident.”   
“Where is my guy?”  
“Oh, he’s your guy?”  
“Yes, he is. Now, where is he buried?”   
“Are you two close?”  
“None of your business.”   
“What does Angus MacGyver mean to you? How does it feel to see him in that coffin? Does your soul die each time you press that button? How does it feel to know there’s nothing you can do to help him, to release him from that hellhole? Useless?” Jack’s face twitches slightly at the word, letting the man know he struck a nerve. “Good, welcome to my world.” The man unzips his hoodie and Jack flinches when he sees the C4 strapped to the man’s stomach, this was a trap.   
“If I were you, I’d back up a little.” Jack turns and runs for the door but doesn’t make it in time. He’s sprayed with blood and flesh as he is thrown against the back wall. 


	4. Jack + Digging Round 1

Matty approached Jack as he sat in the back of the ambulance, a paramedic gave him a checkup.  
“He’s left us with nothing.”  
“We have the tuck, Jack. It’s a start, we can see where this guy has been in past. Riley, Cage and Bozer are working on it now.”

In the building, Bozer helped Riley attach her computer to the black box of the car.  
“We can see how far he’s gone, like in an aeroplane.”   
“Which will give us the mileage and-”  
“Help us figure out a search radius.” Riley tapped away on her laptop as Bozer watched in anticipation. “Twenty-three point four miles. We can track which way he went on cameras and we’ll have a search area radius.” Cage was collecting up, the now, blood-soaked money from wherever she could find it.

In the next room, a forensic team worked to clear the body away and to try and find any identification on the body.  
“Hey, I got a thumb.” Bozer gagged as the CSI held it up for the team to see in daylight.  
“Alright, get back to the Phoenix and gets prints off of it. Cage, you stay here, make sure to get as much of that money as possible and call us if there are any developments. Riley, Bozer, Jack and I are all headed back to the Phoenix.” The trio nodded as Matty walked away.

📎📎📎

Mac was starting to really feel the effects of dehydration. Or was it sleep-deprivation? Or oxygen deprivation? He couldn’t tell. He’d tried covering his eyes with the crook of his elbow to sleep but the heat was too intense. He really hated that damn light. His head didn’t move from the odd angle he had it in, he sucked up as much air as the fan was letting in. It didn’t take a genius to note that the bulb and fan were connected.

The light clicks off and the airflow from the fan picks up, Mac smiles for just a moment, letting himself drift as the sound of the fan calms him a little. But of course, all moments come to an end.

Mac groans in anger, the light was turned back on.  
“Enough with the damn light!” Mac keeps his head as close to the fan as possible to get any and as much air as possible. He was slowly beginning to lose it, whoever was turning the light on and off knew that this would be the effect on him.  
“The light and the fan are connected…” Mac was so desperate to get out the box he never usually talks to himself but the solitude was killing him, literally.

At the end of his tether, Mac decides to do something crazy, Mac removed the gum strips from his pockets and chewed on them for a minute or so before plugging them in his ears. It’s all he’s got to work with.

Mac reached next to his side, picked the gun up and cocked it. For the briefest moment, Mac let it linger on his chin before moving it toward his feet. He looked away as he fired, the gum doing a surprising amount to block out the gunshot echo.

Mac drops the gun and let it slide off of his stomach, he reaches by his side again until he finds another glow stick. As he snapped it, the fan kicked in again, letting him breathe easy.

📎📎📎

“The fan and the light must be running off of the same power source, that’s why he shot it out.” Jack rubbed his hand against his face.  
“Riley, what do you have?”  
“The webcam signal is running through an anonymizer. Different ISP each time. I understand the pattern though which brings us one step closer.”

As the group fell into an uncomfortable silence, a member of the forensics team entered the War Room.  
“Ma’am, we didn’t get any matches on prints for the thumb we found at the scene. However, when we ran DNA, we got a moderate stringency match for none other than Murdoc. We believe he could be his brother.” The entire team all pulled the same face of confusion. Before anyone can say anything, Riley’s laptop goes off.  
“Oh my god. I know why you recognized him, Jack,” The team all look to the big screen as Riley transfers an image of a worker’s ID card. “because he worked at the store you and Mac get beer from. He’s worked there for the past year, around the time we took Murdoc into custody. Mac was his target.”  
“He knew about Bozer being stabbed, how could’ve he have known that?” Riley typed on her computer, looking for old work placements.  
“Because he was a guard at the maximum-security prison, he’d worked there for years, been cleared on all background checks and then, one day, he up and leaves. Right around the time of the attack here.”  
“I’m still confused about how you missed he was Murdoc’s brother if you did background checks.”  
“That’s because he was never directly connected to Murdoc’s family. When Murdoc was taken in for the first time, they did extensive DNA tests and managed to find his family members. The reason he doesn’t show up is because he is his half brother on his mother’s side.” Riley kept typing as she was talking. “Looks as if she had him when she was seventeen, which meant she handed him off without a second thought. They never met each other growing up.” Matty sighed deeply.

“I want Jack and Bozer back with Cage, I’m sending a full forensic team in. Work with them, tear that damn car apart if you have too. Riley, keep chasing that damn webcam signal” The pair nod and head for the door.

📎📎📎

Bozer watched as a CSI member took pictures inside the van before gesturing to her.  
“You can look through there.” He popped the glove box open and flicked through the insurance papers before returning them. Cage was searching through the debris the team from earlier had collected whilst Jack drew the layout of the building from memory. With each passing second, Jack was getting angrier and angrier, everything relied on maybes. Maybe this, maybe that. He was sick of it.

He tore the sheet he was drawing on from the pad, screwed it up and threw it as hard as he could. He watched as it only covered a few feet, not satisfied, Jack decided to take his anger out on a bottle of chemicals that was laying around.  
“Was that really necessary, Jack? Never mind my clothes, look at the evidence.” Cage dropped the piece she was holding and gave Jack an angry look. Bozer got out of the van, asking the CSI to leave them for a moment.

“I’ll go talk to him, sorry, Cage.” Bozer chased after Jack. “Hey, Jack. Hey. How you hold up?” Jack shook his head as he removed his gloves.  
“I’m not. I just can’t get the thought out of my head, if I’d’ve gone, Mac wouldn’t be in this mess.”  
“Jack, it would’ve been inevitable, Mac was targeted.”  
“We flipped a damn coin, Boze-”  
“Mac is not in that box because of a coin flip, he was targeted. Okay?” Before Jack could answer, Cage yells for them both.

“Guys, come here. I found something.” The pair jog back into the room to see Cage kneeling on the floor holding the bottle of chemicals Jack kicked over.  
“Look at this.” Cage begins to pour the liquid on the ground only for it to disappear entirely. “I think there’s something underneath.” Together, the trio brush the dirt and rocks out of the way.  
“I’ve found an edge here.”  
“Yeah, I got one here too, Bozer go get some crowbars.” Bozer runs off, leaving Cage and Jack to dig up whatever was under the ground. Bozer hands the pair a crowbar each, together they remove the floor tile, revealing a layer of dirt underneath.  
“You don’t think Mac could be…?” Bozer let his sentence run off as he watched the pair reaction.  
“It would have to be at least six feet long, man.” Jack didn’t want to get his hopes up given the size of the space they were looking at until Cage chimed in.  
“If he’s been buried lengthwise and who’s to say he didn’t?” They group all share a look before frantically yelling for shovels to begin digging.

📎📎📎

Mac had cooled down but the air didn’t solve all his problems. He wasn’t sweating as badly but due to the heat that had made him sweat before the air, he was incredibly dehydrated. His head pounded, his mouth was dry but the sound of the fan was calming him. Mac’s hands rested by his sides, ‘If only I had something to fiddle with-‘, Mac had been so preoccupied with the light that he’s forgotten about the paper clips. Mac felt around beside him until he found the string of them, he took one off of the chain and made a start on bending it into shape.

He was about a minute into shaping the small piece of metal when he heard a sound. Mac’s heart shot to his throat as the cracking and thudding sound got louder. He snapped the second to last glow stick and held it to the glass above him to try and see if the soil was moving.  
“Hey!” His voice was hoarse, his throat stung from dehydration. “I’m in here! Hey!” Mac kept listening for sounds of movement above him before realizing it’s not coming from above him.

Mac shone the light down his feet to see where he’s shot the glass, dirt was starting to leak through the hole and cracks surrounding it. That wasn’t his only problem though, the cracks were starting to spread, Mac could only watch in horror as the crack got bigger as they got closer to the top of the box. If those cracks couldn’t take the weight of soil on the box, he was going to suffocate there.


	5. Mac + Ants

All Cage, Jack and Bozer found was a prototype version of what they had assumed Mac was buried in, only this one had a dead dog in it. Bozer and Riley took the mechanism apart to try and understand the situation that Mac was in. Bozer fixed the last of the wires and started the battery they’d dug from the ground back up again. The light clicked and turned on one side of the box, Riley looked at the fan mechanism, being careful of getting dirt in her eyes.

After two minutes, the light turned off and the fan jumped to life in Riley’s hand, making her drop it on the table. The pair looked at each other in horror, the fan and the light were connected.

📎📎📎

Mac had tried to keep the dirt out as much as possible, he used his boots to cover the hole but that didn’t stop the dirt getting in. Mac knew the box wouldn’t hold the weight of the dirt for very long, he picked the tape recorder, if they didn’t find him alive, at least he could say his goodbyes.   
“My name is Angus MacGyver. If you find this tape, turn it into the Phoenix Foundation think tank in LA. There will probably be a reward. Bozer, Riley. This is a lousy way to say goodbye but it’s all I got. Bozer, man, you were like a brother to me, you raised me right and I’m sorry I kept the Phoenix from you but this was the reason why man. I’m sorry. Riley, you were the best friend I thought I would never get. Matty, you were the best boss I have ever gotten the pleasure to work for, thank you. Cage, I’m sorry I never got the chance to know you better.” Mac took a death breath, tears welled in his eyes but he wouldn’t let them fall. “Jack, I’m sorry I disappointed you and I know you all did your best to find me. Thank you.”

📎📎📎

Cage looked to the ground, she knew exactly what Mac was doing, he was saying his goodbyes.   
“No, you never did, Mac.” The team could only watch as Mac finally started crying, Riley and Matty were both in tears, Bozer very nearly.

“He’s going into convulsions.” The entire team were on their feet as they watched Mac call out and try to move around in the box. Jack was the first to notice, he edged closer to the screen to get a better look.   
“Riley, can you enlarge the corner of the screen?” Riley questions Jack for a moment but enhances the image.   
“Oh my god.” Jack looked at Mac in horror, he was starting to become covered in ants and whatever kind of ants they were, they’re eating him alive.   
“How the hell did they get in there?”   
“Must’ve been when he shot the light out. It must’ve left a hole in the box for them to crawl through.” The team watched as Mac’s face becomes nearly covered in ants, they watched as he thrust his hand into his front pocket and pulled a pair of latex gloves out. He ripped the ends of the fingers off before stuffing them in his ears to act as a barrier. The team watched as Mac ripped a part of his shirt sleeve off and ripped it in half again. He stuffs the two pieces up his nose to stop the ants getting up there.   
“That’s it Mac, lay still. They won’t bite you… as much.”

After almost two minutes of watching Mac flail around in the box, everyone but Matty leaves to go to the lab to see how the testing on the box is doing.  
“How’s it going, Janice?”  
“Jill and not great. I ran the calculations and assuming Mac’s box is running off of the same size battery…” She took a deep breath before telling them the news. “Mac’s got another ninety minutes of air.” Jack takes a sharp inhale of breath, ‘I kept that damn light on’, before storming out of the lab and back to the War Room.

Matty was in the other room yelling at someone down the phone, Jack watched as Mac continued to try his best not to squirm. Jack flinched, an ant crawled across the top of the box and across the view of the camera. Jack suddenly realized that he could use it.  
“Riley! Yo Riley, I need you in here!” Riley came running, hoping Jack had mordaciously found something.  
“What is it?”  
“Can you take a screenshot of the feed?”  
“Yeah, but why would you want that?”   
“Because an old high school buddy who’s obsessed with creepy crawlies. I think he might be able to identify the ants.” Jack turns back to the screen, praying that the ant will crawl across the camera lens again.  
“Just say-”  
“Now!” Riley enters the command and sends the picture to Jack’s phone.   
“Thanks, Riles.” Jack walks to the hallway, calling his friend as he does. “Hey, Grissom. I need a favour.”

“What are those underneath?” Cage gestured to the small dome shapes in the bottom of the box.  
“No idea. We’ve swabbed them and are having them tested now.” Bozer was sat on the worktop next to where Jill was leaning. Cage continued to inspect the bottom of the box, intrigued by the domes. Everyone’s attention was ripped away from the box when Riley burst into the room with a small glimmer of hope on her face.   
“Jack’s found something.”

The team sprint down the hallway and back to the War Room where Jack has a phone call set up on the monitor along with a range of geographical information about the area.   
“A buddy of mine was able to identify the ants that are now in the box with Mac. They’re Fire Ants, they aren’t very common up here but since they popped up for the first time in two thousand in San Fernando, they are a little too common now. They have a painful sting that can lead to anaphylactic shock if the person is allergic.” The entire team grimaced at his words before he continued. “However, what we do is that Fire Ants don’t like the soil in urban areas, they are mostly only found in garden nurseries in San Fernando. I got the traceback on the van, he went into San Fernando the night Mac was taken. We just need to figure out where and fast.”   
“I have an area where the webcam transmitter could be, here.” Riley pulled up a map with a red ring around the San Fernando area. “The date from the black box gave us a twenty three-mile driving length and the only garden nursery in that distance is the Veterans Memorial Community Regional Park, the perfect place for the ants' nests.” Jack shook his head at the screen before turning back to the team.   
“Gear up, we head out in five minutes. Mac ain’t got time for us to mess around.” Everyone nodded and headed straight for their gear.

The drive was far too long for Jack, they had no choice but to waste forty-five minutes driving to the park. They had around thirty agents with them, each armed with a piece of tech, some had infrared cameras whilst others had signal locators like Riley. They were being tailed by two sets of medical teams and an ambulance, they have no idea what state Mac is going to be in.

Jack checked his watch, thirty minutes until Mac’s out of air, it was now 8.26 pm, Mac had been in the box for over twenty-four hours. Jack couldn’t stop his leg from bobbing up and down uncountably. He just wanted to get Mac back and now, Riley put her hand on his bobbing leg to comfort him.

When they did finally pull into the park, Jack released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He gathered everyone up to discuss the plan.   
“I spoke with a park ranger on the phone. He said that there is an ants nest that fits the description located in this area. Search this area, uncover every rock and spec of dirt. Move out!”


	6. Mac + Found

Jack couldn’t help but check his watch all the time, they had ten minutes before Mac ran out of air and they still hadn’t found the ants nest.

Riley was using her signal tracker to no avail, she was getting stressed at this point. In frustration, Riley threw the piece of tech as hard as she could away from herself. As she went to stomp away in anger, the machine started to beep, it had caught the signal.

“I’ve got the signal!” Riley sprinted to the piece of tech discarded on the floor and picked it back up again before searching in the area. To nobody’s surprise, Jack was the first over to where Riley was swinging the scanner around. Cage and Bozer joined them with a set of shovels in hand.  
“I’m getting clo-“ Jack managed to catch Riley before she hit the floor, Jack shone his torch on the ground to see what she tripped on. The group all share a look as they see two metal tubes sticking out of the ground.

Without a second thought, Bozer throws Jack a shovel, Riley drops her gear and takes the other shovel from Cage. Together, they all start frantically digging. Yelling Mac’s name as they go. Riley hits something and dropped the shovel, she dug with her hands until she found the webcam.  
“This is it!”

As the group continued digging, other members of the team direct the ambulance over to the dig site. Riley, Bozer and Cage dipped out after they got too tired. Jack refused to stop, he wasn’t going to stop until Mac was out of there. Jack’s watch scared him when it started beeping, he flipped his wrist over and saw that they’re out of time.

📎📎📎

Mac kept as still as possible, the ants were still biting him. Every bite sent another wave of pain up and down his body. He could've sworn he could hear the team calling for him but his head was so jumbled with thoughts and voices and equations. He very nearly missed the sound of the fan slowing to a stop beside him.  
“No, no, no,” Mac screamed in pain as he looked at the vent. His whole body burned. Mac couldn’t hear anything above him, no one was coming for him. In an act of desperation, Mac grabbed the gun, cocked it and placed it under his chin whilst screaming.

Jack dropped to his hands and knees, his shovel had hit something and there wasn’t any more dirt for it to move. He brushed the dirt off of the hard surface under his hands. His heart shot to his throat, he had found the edge of the box, he continued to brush the dirt away, yelling for his partner.  
“Mac! We got you, man! Just hand on, alright!” Jack could see Mac’s hair shining on the inside of the box, he watched as Mac wiped the condensation that had built up in the box away so he could get a clearer look. Jack’s breath hitched as he saw the gun in Mac’s hand under his chin.  
“PUT THAT DOWN! WE’RE GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE!” Jack cringed as he realised just how covered in ants Mac truly was. “Oh god. I need that fire extinguisher!” Bozer sprinted to the back of one of the trucks and retrieved a fire extinguisher for Jack. Jack used the shovel to lift one corner of the box as Bozer used the fire extinguisher.  
“Short bursts, Boze. Don’t suffocate him.”

Mac felt a sudden wash of fresh air calm him but it was soon replaced by a chill across his skin. He revelled in the cold, the ants stop biting and it cooled his agitated skin. He heard what sounded like Riley yell for medics as he was finally able to move his upper body again. He banged against the glass, just wanting the team to open the damn box.

Cage’s phone suddenly went off and she saw the caller ID was Matty.  
“We’re getting him out now.”  
“Cage, get everyone out of that damn hole now.”  
“What? Why?” Cage’s sudden worried face didn’t go unnoticed by Jack but he kept going, not stopping until Mac was out.  
“The dimples on the bottom of the prototype. The lab found traces of Semtex on each of them.” Cage’s face dropped from fear to utter terror as she watched Riley, Jack and Bozer go to open the lid.  
“Everyone out of the hole! The box is ready to blow!” Riley and Bozer backed up as far as they could and out of the hole. Jack, however, was unmoving as Mac cried out.  
“I’m not leavin’ without Mac!”  
“There are charges under the box!” Jack looked at Cage with daggers in his eyes until he saw something they could use behind her.

“Alright! Listen up! I know what we are going to do.” The entire team went silent as Jack stood up but didn’t move away from the box. Mac screamed in the box, he didn’t want them to leave him there.  
“We need about two hundred pounds of dirt over here and we are going to use that,” Jack gestured to the piece of machinery behind Cage. “to get it over here.” Riley jogged over to it to see if she could hack her way into getting it to work.

Jack returned to his original position on top of the box above Mac’s head.  
“Mac! Can you hear me?” All Jack got in response was a muffled sob of pain. “It’s going to take us a minute to get you out, ok?” Mac continued to shake and bang his hands on the glass above him.  
“HOSS, listen to me!” That got Mac’s attention, he stopped crying out and steadied his hands. Jack put his hand on the glass and stared at Mac, he didn’t need to be told what to do, he put his hand on Jack’s through the glass as he listened to what he had to say.  
“Good, now listen. There may be explosives under the box.” Mac’s head rolled back in annoyance as he let a small cry of frustration out. “They’re probably set on pressure switches. We need to equalise your body weight before we can pull you out, ok?” Mac just stared up at the sky, too tired to give Jack a response.  
“Hoss, nod your head if you understand me.” Mac slowly nodded his head as Jack yelled something unintelligible to the rest of the team.

Jack returned to Mac, telling him what they are going to do and what he needs to do.  
“Alright, Hoss. We’re going to open the lid and get you out, but you gotta stay lying down, alright? Else you’ll blow us all to hell.” Mac nodded his head in agreement.

Jack gestured for Bozer to join him in the hole as Cage directed the digger over to the hole. Jack nodded at Bozer and together they opened the lid. Bozer wanted to cry at the sight of his friend, he was covered in ant bites and had been crying for hours on end.

Mac’s arm shot up to grip something, Jack reached out to ground him. Mac crumpled Jack’s jacket sleeve into a ball in his hand. Jack reached down and touched his shoulder to show him that he his there with him.  
“Stay still, man. We got you.” Bozer reaches Mac’s wrist to comfort him. Mac gained his composure again, he took deep breaths to calm his racing heart and steady his breathing.  
“Ok, okay.” Jack gestured into the air.  
“Right, bring that over.” Jack’s hand and jacket were replaced by Bozer as Jack fitted the karabiner with rope before attaching it to Mac’s belt. Jack gestured to Bozer and he let go of Mac and got out of the box.  
“Okay, hoss.” Jack was stood at the edge of the hole, gripping the rope and allowing very little slack on it. “I need you to close your eyes and hold your breath.” Mac nodded and laid his arms across his chest in an X.

“Now!”

All Mac’s remembers is the dirt. The way the dirt truly suffocated him. The way it made him realise he wasn’t buried alive in the box but he was in that moment.

Jack was to his side, Mac was trembling on the ground, barely conscious. He skin was now covered with soil.  
“Mac, talk to me. Are you okay?” When Mac only continued to stare straight ahead at nothing, Jack began to panic. “I need the medics!”

A group of medics joined Jack at Mac’s side, taking his vitals and checking his responses. Jack held Mac’s hand throughout the procedure, refusing to let him go. Jack gave them a hand as they got Mac onto a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. Jack laid his jacket over Mac’s body, hoping it would comfort him a little.

Riley, Bozer and Cage got straight into a car, tailing the ambulance back to Phoenix.


	7. Mac + Jack + Hospital

When Jack and Mac finally arrived back at Phoenix, neither of them had let go of the other yet. Mac was wheeled straight into the medical wing, multiple doctors and nurses all saying things that didn’t make any sense to Jack.

As they wheel Mac into one of the rooms, a nurse placed her hand on Jack’s chest to stop him. The entire gurney stops suddenly as the Mac’s grip tightens on Jack’s wrist. Jack shrugged his shoulders.  
“Let him through.” The entire team turns to see none other than Matty stood behind them. They nod and let Jack follow them. Jack turned back and mouthed ‘thank you’ to Matty.

Jack tried his best to give the medical workers space to work around him, he watched as they cut his shirt open, revealing his bite infested body. Jack didn’t audibly respond but Mac knew it was bad when his face scrunched up.

The pain truly hit Mac as the nurses and doctor touched his skin, sending a throbbing burn all over his body. He couldn’t get his mouth to work so instead, he groaned through his throat and squeezed Jack’s wrist.  
“Stop it! You're hurting him.” The doctor’s and nurse stopped and put his arms down. One of the nurses disappeared for a moment before returning with an IV line. When Mac saw the line, his body went into full panic.

Images of the blast from only an hour ago play in front of his eye, along with Murdoc’s voice in his head.  
“No. No.” Mac started to stir, he tried to retract his limbs from the hands that held them.  
“Mac, Mac.” Jack stroked Mac’s hair, trying to get him to calm down, Jack, still holding Mac’s hand, moved so he was blocking Mac’s view of the IV line. “Mac, he’s not here, okay. You’re at Phoenix. We got you back.” Mac slowly listened to Jack’s voice but still kept his other arm close to his chest.  
“No. No-“ Jack could only watch as Mac went into shock. His hands started to tremble again, a new look of fear crossed his face as he struggled to breathe.

The nurse forcefully took his free arm and plunged the needle into his hand. A small whimper escaped Mac’s lips, which made Jack shoot daggers from his eyes at the nurse. One of the doctors placed an oxygen mask over Mac’s face as he relaxed, clearly whatever drug was in the IV line was keeping him calm but conscious.

After a few hours of treating and bandaging Mac’s entire body, he was finally wheeled into recovery where everyone could see him. He was flat on his back, still very high from the drugs when everyone came in to see him. Riley and Bozer stood to either side of his bed, too scared of hurting him to touch him.  
“Hey, Mac.” Mac just smiled in response. The group just stood around him as his mind drifted off who knows where.  
“Dalton, I need a word.” Jack stepped out of the room with Matty. Leaving Bozer and Riley together.  
“I’m going to get us something to eat from the vending machine, you want anything Bozer?” Bozer shook his head.  
“No, thanks. I going to head to the bathroom to freshen up a little. ” Riley held his arm as a way of showing support before leaving the room as well. Bozer put his hand on Mac’s wrist.  
“I’ll only be a minute.”

Mac could feel the drugs wearing off as his mind came back to him, there was a weird aching all across his body but he couldn’t remember why. He was laying on his back. Mac remembered where he was, stuck on his back, yet he could see Jack through a small window in the door.  
“J-“ His throat was too sore. Instead, Mac tried getting his legs to move but only slowly. His entire body ached, he wanted Jack, he needed Jack. He needs someone to hold him, to tell him they really got him out of there.

Mac managed to get his feet to touch the ground but the moment he tried to put any weight on his legs, they gave out.

Mac hit the floor in a crumpled mess, his whole body ached and throbbed, he really hated hospitals. The tiles under him were hard and rough but cold on his burning skin. His hand stung and when he bought it to his face he realised why on his fall from the bed the IV in his hand had been ripped out. A small trail of blood stained the floor as Mac tried to turn himself over.  
“Ja- Jac-.” Mac continued to squirm on the floor uncomfortably, he just needed someone to hold him. Mac tried to push himself up, his skin burned as he put weight on arms. The bandages snag on Mac's broken skin as he tries to pull himself up, he tries his hardest but a groan of pain escapes his mouth. Jack must’ve noticed Mac had fallen out of the bed because he burst through the door, concern plastering his face.

“Mac.” He bent down beside him and gently touched his shoulder, not wanting to hurt him. “Mac, I gotta get you back on the bed, alright?” Mac shook his head and reached his hand out to Jack’s chest before pulling him into a sudden hug. Jack could feel Mac shaking against him.  
“Hey, let it out, man.” Mac finally realised all his emotions, soaking the back of Jack’s shirt with his tears.  
“I was gonna- I was going to do-“ Jack kept rubbing his back, letting him release all of his emotions.  
“I know, Mac. I know you did so well. I’d’ve bailed out hours before you even thought about it.”

The pair sit together, neither of them saying anything to the other, the only sound that echoes in around the room are Mac’s small sobs as he calms down. Jack is now cradling him in his arms, shushing him the way a mother would to their newborn.

The door suddenly swung open, which made Mac hide against Jack’s chest. The nurse who was responsible for the IV line entered the room, Jack sent her more daggers for scaring Mac.  
“Mr MacGyver, we need to get you back on the bed and reinsert the IV. You are very dehydrated and need to sleep.” Mac shook his head and uttered a single ‘No, bed.’ against Jack’s chest.  
“Mac, she’s right. You’ve been awake for over twenty-four hours. You need to sleep.” Mac still shook his head. Jack sighed deeply before noticing what was wrong with the bed. “You don’t want to be flat on your back.” Mac nodded his head. “Can we adjust the bed, please?” The nurse nodded and set the back so it was at a thirty-degree incline, whilst Jack gently placed Mac back on the bed, the nurse preps a shot of a sedative.

Mac stayed curled up against the mattress, he didn’t want to move in case the walls of the box suddenly reappeared and confirmed his fear that he was dreaming. Jack put his hand in Mac’s hair and gently brushed it as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Jack was so preoccupied with Mac that he didn’t see that the nurse was holding a needle, Mac, however, did. As she leant over to get Mac’s arm, Mac swatted her away so hard the needle flew from her hand and she almost fell over.  
“Woah, Mac.” Mac shuffled closer to Jack, burring his head between Jack’s side and the mattress. “Easy, Mac. You need to sleep okay.” Mac shook his head and mumbled something. Jack had to lean closer to hear what Mac was relatedly saying.  
“I want this to be real.” Jack’s heart broke at his words, he thinks he’s dreaming.  
“This is real, Mac.” Jack thought for a moment. “How about I stay with you until you fall asleep and wake up again.” Mac pondered on it for a moment before nodding his head.

Jack got on the bed next to Mac and Mac rested his head on Jack’s chest, listening for his heartbeat. The nurse switched the lights off as she left the room after tidying up.

Mac fell asleep a lot quicker than Jack had thought he would, Jack kept playing with his hair whilst gently humming the melody of Sweet Child O’ Mine. Jack finally smiled for the first time in over twenty-four hours.


End file.
